These Moments
by karkatium
Summary: Pearl stumbles upon her old journal detailing the history of the Crystal Gems and decides to read it. (unrequited!rosepearl and pearlnet towards the end of the story; follows the clone!pearl theory)
1. Chapter 1

( **AN:** Steven Universe and all stuff affiliated with it belongs to the lovely Rebecca Sugar. Thank you for allowing me to use it in my fic!

Also this is the 1st fic I have written in a really really long time so if you could give me feedback I would really appreciate it! Thanks

Also I will give put trigger warnings in for each chapter when needed so if you need me to give u a warning for anything please let me know! I would be happy to do so! I hope you enjoy!)

 **Prologue**

There is something that has remained a truth throughout all of time: Spring is a time for moving forward. But in order to do so, what weighs you down must be left behind. Out with the old, and in with the new. In theory, this is simple. But there is another truth to this universe: letting go of the past is the most difficult part of moving onto better things.

Heavy droplets of rain rolled lazily down the window, sliding into intricate patterns before they finally cascaded onto the outdoor patio with a _splash_. Pearl was sprawled across the small bench next to the window of her house, tapping her foot rapidly against the cushion as she stared outside. Unfortunately this day was one of those very rare days where she was home alone. Steven was out with Connie, Garnet was out on a mission, and Amethyst was who knows where. Pearl sighed, feeling incredibly bored. It was 11 AM and she had already reorganized the entire temple (including Amethyst's room, which took more time and energy than anything else she had done the entire day). Incredibly enough, Pearl still felt like she had done absolutely nothing at all the entire day. She twiddled her thumbs impatiently as she stared at the ceiling. _I certainly hope Steven didn't feel this bored when we left him alone all day,_ she wondered, feeling a tad guilty.

She tried to think of more productive things to do. _Hmm,_ she thought, _did I clean the dishes already?_ She then remembered accidently spilling dish soap all over her shirt and trying to clean the gooey substance off in a frenzy. Pearl frowned and mentally checked that off of her list. _Yes._

Pearl glanced at the bookshelf in the living room. _Maybe I forgot to organize those?_ Her silent hope turned to disappointment when she observed that she had already organized all of the books neatly by surname. _Ugh! I am too good,_ Pearl thought as crossed her arms. _There_ _ **has**_ _to be something productive for me to do, I'm tired of sitting here!_

And then, it came to her. _Maybe there isn't anything to do around the house, but perhaps there is some cleaning to do in my gem?_ Pearl thought, feeling pleased with herself. She closed her eyes, and focused in on her gem. She felt the weight of all the junk she carried around inside of it and realized that it really could use some cleaning. And although the gem can carry an infinite amount of things, it really couldn't hurt anyone to organize everything within it. _Let's see,_ Pearl thought as she mentally surveyed her gem inventory. There was a wide assortment of things: weapons, trinkets, and books galore. She sorted through the lot of items, carefully organizing them into different categories: keep, put away, and throw away.  
Pearl was almost finished cleaning her gem when she stumbled upon an old artifact she hadn't seen in many, many years. She was so surprised that it caused her to snap out of her mental cleaning. The object shot across the room and hit the wooden stairs with a loud _thud_. She blinked. _I'm glad no one saw that,_ Pearl thought, blushing slightly. _That was embarrassing._

Pearl stood up and yawned as she stretched her long arms above her head. She felt much better now that her gem was clean. Something just felt a little lighter, and she enjoyed that. After she finished her stretch, she walked over to the object she had just ricocheted out of her head and gently picked it up. She dusted the cover off and smiled ever so slightly.

Pearl's old journal was in surprisingly good condition considering its age. Even though it had a very dusty scent, very few of the pages were torn and upon further inspection it seemed as if none of the pages had fallen out yet.

"Wow," she spoke nostalgically, "It's been _years_ since I last saw this." She lightly rubbed the leather cover with her thumb, feeling the rough texture of the journal. She glanced around the room, and out the window. The house was still clean and the rain was still pouring. _Since I have done absolutely everything that has to be done around here,_ Pearl told herself, _maybe I will take a break and read this?_

Pearl walked back over to the bench, lightly flipping through pages of the journal. She propped up a pillow and took a seat. _Yeah, I think will read this. I deserve a little break,_ _ **especially**_ _after cleaning Amethyst's room._ Pearl opened to the first entry, grinning slightly as she read it to herself.

 _This brings back so many memories._

 **Chapter One**

( **Author's Note:** I am fully aware that gems probably do not use common earth time but I'm just doing this to give you a sense of when this took place.)

 _Entry 1_

 _Date: September 12, 5000 BC_

 _Unit 612_

 _My first day in service has been,_ well _, a bit of serendipity (I would say that I am incredibly lucky to still be functioning!)_

 _Hmm. Now that I think about it, maybe calling my good fortune luck is inaccurate. I really should be giving all the credit to the very benevolent leader of my home district, Rose Quartz. Her kindness knows no bounds, and she is the only reason why I am even around to document this event!_

 _It was a very fortunate accident that she discovered me. This incident started with my faulty genesis, which just so happened to occur on the very day that Rose Quartz was inspecting my place of "birth:" the Quartz district's local Pearl factory._

The memories of that awful place came flooding back to Pearl like a dam that had suddenly burst open. She frowned and looked away from the journal. Pearl had a very different upbringing than most gems. Being an artificially created subspecies of Gem, Pearl and her other clones were not created in a kindergarten like the average gem. Pearl was grown, or rather manufactured in a dingy factory in the days where cloning was very popular in the Gem Homeworld society. This was certainly not something she was proud of. Pearl put her unpleasant feelings aside, and began to read again.

 _I was grown in a large glass tube, filled to the brim with a very salty brine. The bottom of the chamber was littered with little ocean creatures called "oysters." Once I had fully matured, my caretakers drained all the cold saltwater out of the tube and yanked me out of my tank. All I remember is feeling terribly frightened; all these hands pulling hard on me and dragging my cold, nearly lifeless body onto some kind of bed and being wheeled somewhere else._

 _I was left to dry in a nearly empty room covered in bright lights designed to warm me up and to help ease me into a higher state of consciousness. The soft heat from the lights spread throughout my body from my fingertips and toes all the way to my most inner core, breathing precious life into my fragile body. For the very first time, I opened my blue eyes. The lights were far too harsh for me; I couldn't help but blink multiple times._

 _There must have been some kind of camera in that room, because just after I first showed signs of consciousness, my caretakers came rushing into the room. They crowded around me; almost otherworldly creatures that stared down at me ominously. One of them pulled out a flashlight and pointed it directly into my eye. I winced in response and groaned ever so quietly. I assume that this must have been a good sign, because the others began to test my other senses. One snapped their fingers very closely to my ears to test my vision, and another pricked my finger to test for a sense of touch._

" _All senses appear to be fully functional," one reported. I stared at her, absolutely nonplussed. My mind was far too foggy to fully comprehend the situation._ What are they doing to me? Who are they? What are they? _I thought. I remember observing the fact that they all looked identical with their neat strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a long ponytail and their formfitting blue uniforms. All pretty yet practical. I could not tell one from the other even if I tried._

 _The caretaker to my left bent down to my eyelevel and spoke: "Can you understand what I am saying?" Her voice was the exact same pitch as the other caretaker; both had soft but analytical voices._

" _Do you hear me? Reply 'yes' or 'no,'" the caretaker said, seeming slightly impatient with me._

" _Y…yes," I replied softly; my voice still weak._

 _The caretaker blinked at me and wrote down some notes in a small notepad she carried with her. She set the notepad aside on my little white bed and peered back at me. "Sit up for me," she ordered. I nodded, and (very wobbly) pulled myself upright._

 _She looked at the other three caretakers and nodded. This must have been a good sign, because immediately after she asked me to get up and walk to her. It took me a few good tries before I accomplished this task; falling twice before finally reaching her. I collapsed pathetically into her arms and looked up at her._

 _She cocked a brow. "Although unit 612 seems a bit weaker than a typical Pearl, all her basic instincts seems to be there," she reported to the others. They nodded as they all wrote that down in their notepads. The caretaker looked back and me and commanded me to follow her._

 _We weaved our way very silently throughout the dark building; twisting through curved stairways, and traversing through dimly lit hallways that reeked of saltwater. Finally we reached a barren white room with cracked tile floors and suspicious dents in the wall. I felt a vague sense of unease wash over me as I was lead into the room. Something about the damage done to the room rubbed me the wrong way._ What could have caused this?, _I wondered, clenching my fists._

 _The caretakers reported together quietly amongst themselves, their voices hushed whispers so I would not hear. Finally, one stepped away from the group towards me. My eyes met with her cold blue ones, and I couldn't help but feel intimidated and insecure. They stared into my very soul, picking me apart for all my flaws. I looked away from her._

" _You will now begin phase two of our testing program, Unit 612. Please summon your weapon," she ordered me in a monotone._

 _I stared at the caretaker blankly; I was completely uncertain of what she was asking me. I looked down and grabbed my right arm with my left hand. "I don't know what you are asking of me," I frowned, "I'm sorry."_

 _She pulled out her notepad and jotted down some quick notes. The caretaker gently put the notebook in her bag and gave me her full attention._

" _Do you think you could summon your weapon if I showed you an example of it?"_

 _I nodded, too disappointed in myself to respond. The caretaker closed her eyes, and the perfectly circular gem in the center of her forehead glowed too brightly to look at directly. An elegant spear materialized, shining bright white. She grabbed it firmly, spun it and pulled it to her side. The sharp end of the spear clicked as it tapped the tile floor._

" _Now that you have seen an example, please summon your weapon," She commanded me. I gulped. I still did not have the slightest idea of how to produce the weapon, but that didn't stop me from trying. I took a deep breath and shut my eyes, feeling determined. I felt my gem heat up a little as it began to glow. I held the glow for a good five seconds before it flickered out and I was left with nothing to show for my efforts. I fell to the floor, defeated. "I can't do it," I muttered, biting back tears._

" _If that is how you feel, then I have no choice," she said as she dematerialized her weapon and peered over to the others. "Unit 612 has failed phase two. Change her status from functioning to defective. She lacks the knowledge necessary to function properly, and she lacks strength. Take her somewhere hidden; cut off her ponytail and smash her gem," she commanded, emotionless and unaffected._

 _I stared back at her, hot tears streaming down my face as I realized my fate. "No! P…please. Give me another chance!" I pleaded desperately, "I know I can do it!"_

" _If you had the ability to summon your weapon you would have done it the first time," she spoke coldly, disgusted by my petty groveling._

 _I sobbed into my hands, absolutely inconsolable. I had been alive for less than an entire day, and my fate had already been sealed. It was all too cruel for me; they hardly gave me a chance to prove myself and I hated them for it._

 _The caretaker nudged me with her foot. "Get up," she commanded. "The leader of our district is inspecting our establishment today, and we must make sure that everything is in order. There cannot be any defects that would put a stain on our factory's reputation."_

 _I refused to get up. The caretaker bent down and grabbed my face tightly with her pale hand. "I will not allow you to be that stain," she breathed, her tone low and dangerous. Then she shoved me away from her, and her gem began to glow as she summoned her weapon._

" _Please! Have mercy on me!" I shrieked as I pushed myself away from her._

 _Just as the caretaker grabbed her spear and prepared to strike the ending blow, the only door to this room flung open. A giant gem with the thickest pink hair I have ever seen burst into the room, looking absolutely horrified at what had just happened._

" _Stop!" she yelled at my aggressor, "Don't do anything to her!"_

 _The caretaker's spear hit the ground with a loud clanking sound._ _She blinked at the sight of this mysterious gem, and then fell into a low bow. "I am so sorry. Please forgive me," she spoke lowly._

" _I watched everything that has happened here and I am truly disgusted by your harsh actions towards this pearl. You should have given her as many chances as she needed to get it right; she did not deserve to be killed over something as simple as this!" she yelled, her face turning lightly pink. My caretaker blinked in disbelief._

 _She came rushing over to me. "Are you okay?" she asked gently, her eyes swimming with tears. I was too stunned to even reply. The gem grabbed my face with her big, soft hands and inspected my gem for any signs of injury, and found none. She sighed in relief._

" _Oh you poor thing," she sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye, "I'm so lucky I found you in time. I'm deeply sorry this even happened to you in the first place!" She offered me her hand and helped me stand up. The gem looked coldly at the other pearls._

" _If you are not going to give her the care she deserves, then I will take her and she will live with me. Is that clear?" she said to them. My caretakers nodded and then bowed to her._

 _She looked back at me and smiled pleasantly. "C'mon then," she said as she grabbed my hand, "Let's get you out of here."_

 _I nodded, and followed her out of the miserable building. As we reached the outside, I looked up at the beautiful night sky and was wonderstruck by the undeniable beauty of the stars. I could see two large moons in the sky, one a light grey and the other almost pinkish in color. They were both full, and colorful stars twinkled around them softly. Little shooting stars danced across the horizon, and I was suddenly hit with the feeling that maybe, just maybe everything was going to be okay now. I was so overwhelmed with relief and joy that I sniffled a little bit, and began to cry again._

 _My mysterious savior turned around, her concerned face illuminated by the soft light of the moons. "Oh Pearl," she cooed, "What's the matter? Did I do something wrong?"_

 _I shook my head and looked her straight into her warm brown eyes. "N…no, it's actually the exact opposite," I sniffled, "I'm just so very thankful that you did this for me. Being defective, I don't think I deserve your kindness or pity at all and yet you still saved me. You are so wonderful and kind. Tha… thank you so much!"_

" _It was nothing, Pearl. I am happy to help you out and I am so glad I found you!" she told me, her eyes twinkling as she gave me a warm smile. "I had heard rumors of how bad these factories treat their Pearls, and I wanted to see if these rumors were true. That's why I came to inspect this factory today. And upon further inspection, I realize now that I can't have a place as cruel as this running in my district! What kind of leader would I be if I let this injustice go on? If you would like me to, I will shut down this place so that no other pearls are mistreated like you had been."_

" _Yes," I agreed eagerly as I wiped my tears from my eyes, "Please shut it down. I don't want anyone else to go through the horror I went through today."_

" _Alright! As soon as we get back to my estate I will deliver a special message to the public: All Pearl factories in the Quartz district will be shut down, effective immediately. No more will ever be allowed here as long as I rule. Does that sound good to you, Pearl?"_

" _Yes! Absolutely," I replied excitedly, "Thank you so much! Really…" I paused, "This means so much to me!"_

 _She smiled sweetly at me. "It's no problem at all, Pearl. It's the least I could do."_

 _A small wind picked up and I could feel it flow through my long, sleek ponytail. I gave her a small grin. She giggled softly, her voice like little bells in the wind._

" _Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, "I'm sorry, I completely forgot to introduce myself!" She placed her hand on her forehead. "How rude of me!" she mumbled. Then, she extended the hand that was previously on her forehead to me._

" _Hello, Pearl!" she said as her curly hair flowed gently in the wind, "It's great to meet you! Allow me to introduce myself."_

 _I extended my right arm, and grabbed onto her beautiful chubby hand. She gave my hand a quick squeeze and a light shake._

" _I'm Rose Quartz," she smiled._

Rose Quartz, _I thought,_ what a fitting name. _The ends of her curls almost looked just like little pink roses, and she smelled of them too. I thought that she was really lovely in so many ways._

 _Suddenly, the clear diamond on my uniform began to glow softly, first white then quickly transforming into a light pink, just like Rose's gem. I let go of Rose's hand and stared down at it wordlessly._

 _She giggled. "Well, it looks like you are loyal to me now… I appreciate it a lot. Thank you for choosing me, Pearl."_

 _I grabbed her hands and looked straight into her elegant brown eyes. "It was the least I could do after you saved me, Rose Quartz," I exclaimed, "I'm glad to be loyal to you. Even though I am defective, I will do my absolute best to help you! I promise will repay you for the kindness you have shown me this day!"_

 _After that, Rose Quartz took me back to her lovely estate. She excitedly gave me tour of the place, and even gave me my own magic room! After the little tour, she told me that she would take me to a friend she knows that is very good with explaining how to summon weapons. She told me that I would probably get along very well with her._

 _I remember thinking in that moment that I, Pearl number 612, must be the luckiest Pearl in existence. Even right now as I lay down in my room documenting this, I still think this is the case. I may be wrong, but I have the feeling that everything is going to be all right._

Pearl closed the journal and shook her head. She was so naïve back then.


	2. Chapter 2

**(AN: quick note. I describe Garnet as having one gem later on in the chapter. Don't worry, this is intentional. She is hiding the other one under her glove. This will become relevant later on in the story.)**

 **Chapter Two**

 _Entry 2_

 _Date: November 2_ _nd_ _, 5000 BC_

 _Unit 612_

 _I can hardly believe that I have been living with Rose Quartz for a little over a month now! Living with her has been such a joy, I feel like as if days have just flown by!_

 _Rose kept her very generous promise to me. The very next day, she had the factory shut down just like she said she would. And after a little over the week, the it was just an empty building with no future. Even now, I still find myself smiling at the thought that no other Pearls will be treated the way I was (or at least not in the Quartz district)._

 _I feel like she absolutely spoils me. For instance, last week she called in to some of her leaders and asked for a day off of work. They agreed reluctantly, and then soon after Rose came running to me. I was in my room reading some classic Homeworld literature when suddenly Rose Quartz burst through the door._

" _Pearl!" she exclaimed, grinning excitedly._

" _Yes?" I asked; a bit startled. I put the book down._

" _Do you remember that friend I was telling you about?" Rose asked me._

 _I poked through my memories a bit and was unable to place this Gem. "…No?" I replied, shrugging my shoulders lightly._

" _The one I was telling you about last week… Y'know, the one that I said was very good at summoning her weapons?" she explained, attempting to jog my memory._

" _Oh! I remember her now… The gem with the big gauntlets, right?" I said._

" _Yes! Do you want to go meet her today? She said she isn't busy and that she would be very pleased to help you summon your weapon," Rose informed me._

 _"I don't mean to be rude, but why don't you just teach me?" I asked her curiously. "No, it's fine. I have just never been good at explaining these kinds of things, sorry. Plus, I just haven't seen her in so long! I have been meaning to pay her a visit now that she has been stationed on Earth, but I just never really got the chance to... But now that I have you, I thought, 'what a perfect opportunity to go see her!'" Rose explained, excitement seeping out of her every word._

 _"…Earth?" I was puzzled, "Where is that?"_

 _"Oh Pearl! It is the cutest little planet and it's only a few light years away from Homeworld!" Rose exclaimed, her brown eyes twinkling like bright little stars. "Last time I visited, it was so undeniably beautiful," she reminisced. "So wild and free; so untainted by Gemkind. I want to share that beauty with you before the Diamonds gain full control of it and ultimately turn it into another kindergarten."_

 _"That_ does _sound like a lot of fun," I agreed._

 _"Trust me," Rose flashed me a stellar grin, "It_ is _. Would you like to go right now?"_

 _"Sure!" I jumped up and dashed over to her, "Let's go!"_

 _And soon after that we were off to Earth! I remember feeling so eager as we warped there, but also_ _ **incredibly**_ _anxious. I latched onto Rose's arm as we warped away from Homeworld and held onto it tightly as if it were the only thing keeping me from harm._

 _Rose giggled and looked at me. "Oh Pearl," she said, "Are you scared?"_

 _"Yeah," I told her as I looked away from her gaze, "…Just a little."_

 _"Aw," she gently grabbed my other arm. "Don't be scared! I got you. Trust me when I say that you're safe."_

 _"I guess so," I replied, "I'm sorry I'm so nervous… I have never traveled off planet before and it scares me a lot."_

 _"Oh it's fine!" she flashed me her signature kind smile, "There is nothing wrong with that. I was scared too the first time I left Homeworld! It's something you may get over with lots of traveling, which I can promise you that we will do!"_

 _I grinned at her. "Thanks for the reassurance… You really don't have to but the fact that you do… it means a lot to me," I said, locking eyes with her._

 _"Making sure you are comfortable is_ never _an issue," Rose assured me, "I don't like to put my friends out of their comfort zone when I can."_

Friend, _I blinked as I recognized the word._ Rose Quartz considers me one of her friends _! I realized_ And by default, _I reasoned with myself mentally,_ doesn't that make Rose my friend too? _I smiled softly and clasped my hands close to my chest as I realized the answer: yes. I could feel my cheeks heat up ever so slightly as they blushed light blue._

 _Moments after my quiet revelation, I felt my orange boots land on the smooth white marble of the Earth warp pad. I let go of Rose's arm as soon as I saw the vibrant blue light of the warp pad dissipate and I took a good look at my surroundings._

 _The galaxy warp center we landed at was completely encompassed by briny seawater. Small waves crashed up against the glossy marble of the structure, and I felt a slight breeze fly through my hair. A singular white sun shone harshly down on us, and I squinted my sensitive eyes. Everything from the water to the very marble we stood on seemed to reflect that brutal light of the distant sun._

 _A lone gem stood in front of us, waiting and watching silently. I could tell that she had been here before; thick sunglasses completely obscured her eyes._ Smart thinking on her part, _I remarked. Her ultra-curly black hair flowed elegantly in the wind as her full lips curled into the subtlest smile._

 _"Rose Quartz," she breathed softly in recognition, "Long time, no see." I noticed that she had an accent I had never heard before._

 _"Oh Garnet! You know you couldn't keep me away for too long," Rose teased as she dashed over to her and gave her a big, tight hug. Rose pulled away from the hug and held lightly onto Garnet's muscular arms. "How has living on Earth been going for you?" she asked her, smiling brightly._

 _"Well," she replied shortly, "Better than Homeworld."_

 _Rose clasped her pale hands together eagerly. "Oh, I'm so excited for you!" Rose told her, her voice like chiming bells. "If it were my choice, I would be moved to Earth too. Unfortunately, I have a very special duty to the Quartz district on Homeworld which prevents me from coming here," Rose explained, sounding almost disappointed. "You are_ so _lucky!"_

 _Garnet didn't reply. I got the feeling that she is a bit of a quiet one._

 _"Oh!" Rose said to Garnet, "You got to meet my friend! I think you and her will get along very well." Rose looked at me and waved me over. I blinked, and walked over to them._

 _Rose grabbed me gently by the shoulders and looked at Garnet. "This is my friend, Pearl," she introduced. I couldn't help but smile a little when she identified me as her friend._

 _"Hello," Garnet said softly to me, and extended a hand. I noticed that she had a tiny red gem in the center of her gloved palm. I gripped her hand firmly, and felt the little gem press lightly against my pearlescent white skin._

 _"I'm Garnet," she said, her low voice soft and kind._

 _"Um, Pearl," I replied nervously as I shook her hand. I laughed awkwardly and let go of her hand. "You already knew that though," I told her as I felt the blue blush rise in my cheeks._

 _Rose giggled at me as I mentally berated myself for being so awkward. "I brought her here today because I know you have almost twice the experience of anyone else at summoning weapons, and she still has a bit of trouble with it. Would you be willing to teach her? I would myself but I have always struggled with explaining it to others," Rose explained._

 _"Hmm," Garnet replied, her hand on her chin. "I guess so," she stated._

 _"Really?" I asked her eagerly, hardly believing that she was willing to help me. Rose grinned excitedly and looked at me._

 _Garnet nodded at us. "Shouldn't be too hard for me to do," she said, "And I'm glad to help you out two out whenever you need it."_

 _"Oh thank you so much, Garnet!" Rose burst, her eyes twinkling gleefully, "I really appreciate that."_

 _"Eh, it's no problem, really," Garnet replied nonchalantly, "You have helped me in more ways than I can imagine. I'm just returning the favor." She gave Rose a subtle smile._

 _"Well then, how about we head back to Gem territory? Although the Galaxy warp is such a pretty place, it really isn't the best environment for learning how to battle!" Rose suggested._

 _"Yeah, good idea," Garnet agreed. She turned towards one of the smaller warp pads, her tight black curls flowing gracefully in the sea breeze as she moved towards it. Rose and I followed her closely onto the little marble warp pad. I heard it spark to life, and soon we were engulfed in vibrant blue light as we teleported away._

 _We landed in the center of a small base hidden in a secret valley between tall misty mountains. The place was like nothing I had ever seen before. Unlike Homeworld's barren artificial cities, this tiny town was teeming with organic life. Plants grew haphazardly everywhere; on the ground, up the little buildings, even in the clear blue river flowing through the outskirts of the base. The tiniest white flowers grew neatly around the base of the warp pad, (maybe they were planted there intentionally?) I bent down and reached for those little white petals. I felt them and was surprised by how smooth they were. So soft; so nonthreatening. I picked one of them and held it gently in my hand._

 _Rose grabbed the little flower out of my hand and smiled at it. "Isn't it beautiful?" she admired._

 _"Yes," I agreed, looking up at her. She gently rubbed my hair with her hand, and tucked the flower into my ponytail. I blinked in surprise._

 _Garnet and Rose giggled softly. I turned around to face Garnet, and noticed my reflection in her glasses. I turned my head slightly to the side and saw the little white flower poking out._

 _"That's a nice look on you, Pearl," Garnet told me kindly as Rose walked off of the warp pad._

 _I giggled shyly, and felt my lips curl up into a smile. "Thanks," I replied, clasping my hands together behind my back. I could feel my cheeks turning blue as I turned away from her and followed Rose into the town._

 _"So this is the Gem base," Rose told me, "It's changed so much since I was last here."_

 _Garnet nodded her head. "Since the Diamonds declared Earth as a planet they would like to gain control of, gems have been moving here left and right. This gem territory is no longer a tiny little camp like it used to be," she explained._

 _I saw Rose clench her fists as Garnet mentioned the Diamonds._ How strange, _I thought._

 _"I just hope they don't do anything cruel to this planet," Rose commented, her tone darker than before._

 _I was about to ask what she meant, but then Garnet quickly changed the subject. "So, uh, Pearl" she began awkwardly, dragging out the 'o'. "Are you ready for me to teach you?"_

 _"Yes," I replied, forgetting about the conversation before. "Are we going to practice right here?" I asked._

 _"No," Garnet answered, "It's too crowded here in base center. Let's go somewhere where we can go all out and not break anything."_

 _"Sounds like a plan," I said with a grin._

 _Rose clapped her hands together and smiled at us. "Oh I'm so glad you two are getting along well," she said, "I have some important business to attend to here in base center so unfortunately I won't be able to come along with you two… I'll see you both soon! Good luck, Pearl!" Rose waved goodbye pleasantly and then was off._

 _Garnet turned towards me. "Well then," she started, " –Shall we go?"_

 _"Sure!" I replied._

 _Garnet lead me up the tallest mountain by the base. We traveled by foot because according to Garnet, a warp pad "couldn't take us where she wanted to go." I thought that was strange considering the fact that on Homeworld you could go almost anywhere via warp pad. I guess Earth must not be as technologically advanced as Homeworld._

 _We trekked up the mountain in near silence. I remember watching the sky turn orange, then red, and then finally purple as the sun began to set. The beauty of it all left me breathless._

 _"Wow," I gasped._

 _I heard Garnet giggle softly in front of me. "First Earth sunset, huh?" She inquired, her tone curious._

 _"Yeah," I replied. "It's so pretty. It's like nothing I have ever seen before."_

 _"That's Earth for you."_

 _We fell into silence once again. I looked around, trying to think of something to say to break it._

 _"So," I began cautiously. "Uh, how do you know Rose Quartz?"_

 _It took her a few seconds to reply. "I was not very well liked on Homeworld. Rose did me a favor, and now I am stationed here on Earth." I saw Garnet clench her fists tightly. "She gave me something I couldn't get on Homeworld: a fresh start," Garnet explained, her voice lower than before._

 _"They didn't like you?" I asked, a little shocked by her statement. "Why? You seem very pleasant… I don't know why the Homeworld gems would disapprove."_

 _She turned around and looked at me. "Thanks, but they don't care about who I am or what I am like," she explained, sounding frustrated. " –Just what I am," she spat, her voice barely above a whisper._

 _I blinked and then looked down at my feet, feeling perplexed by her response. I had a feeling that she didn't want me to ask her anymore about the matter._

 _Garnet turned back around and began to walk again. "How about you?" she asked, her tone neutral._

 _"Huh?"_

 _"How did you meet Rose?" Garnet rephrased. "She has never had any Pearls before you… I thought it was strange when she brought you along. No offense."_

 _"None taken," I said as I began to twiddle my thumbs anxiously. "The truth is, I am a defective Pearl. I did not have the strength and knowledge that other Pearls were born with, and I was supposed to be…" I paused. "—Put out of service as a result. Rose was inspecting the factory I was manufactured in that day, and she stopped my caretakers from cutting my ponytail and smashing my gem. She let me come live with her… and she shut down the factory in the Quartz district as a result of what happened that day."_

 _"That's rough," Garnet responded. "I have always seen Homeworld's treatment of the Pearls as cruel… I'm glad someone is doing something about it now."_

 _"Yeah," I said as I grabbed my left arm and held onto it._

 _Silence fell among us again, but this time I didn't do anything about it. I watched as the sun finally set behind the far horizon, and stars began to creep out into the darkening sky. Little animals chirped and hummed mysteriously in the background. I could hear the soft rushing of water near by. I saw a singular grey moon make its first appearance of the night, a little glowing crescent floating aimlessly in the sky._

 _We finally came across a little clearing in the thick mountain forest. Near the edge was a small waterfall, roughly twelve feet tall in height. Behind the water was a rocky cavern, only big enough for a few gems in total. At the base of the falls was a shallow pond that slowly transformed into a creek as you followed it downward. A variety of colorful flowers grew in the little meadow next to the water. I noticed that the whole place had the pleasant scent of fresh flowers and rainwater._

 _Garnet looked at me. "Here we are," she said proudly, " –The best place in this entire territory."_

 _"Wow, it's so lovely," I gushed. "How did you find this place?"_

 _"I was looking for a place far away from base center to meditate… and I stumbled upon this in the process," she said, the moonlight reflecting off of her glasses. I wondered why she didn't take them off._ Maybe she can't see very well without them, _I assumed. It was the only answer I could possibly think of._

 _"Now, are you ready to begin?" she asked, a hand on her hip._

 _"Yes! I'll try my best," I replied, a smile growing across my face._

 _"Good," Garnet said, nodding her head. "Now I want to see you try to summon your weapon. Try it, and I will see what advice I can give you."_

 _I nodded, feeling determined to succeed. I inhaled deeply, and shut my eyes tightly. I imagined the elegant white spear materializing, and tried to translate the thought into action. I felt my gem heat up as it began to glow._ Come on, _I thought._ I need to do this!

 _Somewhere in the back of my mind I heard a faint response:_ You can't. If you couldn't do it in the factory when your life depended on it, you most certainly can't do it now. _My eyes flung open as I felt the glow of my gem flicker out in response to my uncertainty._

 _"No!" I groaned, putting my head in my hands. I looked up at Garnet. "Why can't I do it?" I asked._

 _"I'm not quite certain yet," she answered me neutrally. "Try describing_ _ **exactly**_ _what you did to me, and then maybe I can come up with an answer for you?"_

" _Well," I began. "First, I took a deep breath. Then I closed my eyes. I imagined my spear appearing out of my gem, and I think I felt my gem glow…" I trailed off at the end, leaving out my self-doubt._

 _"Hmm," Garnet pondered, her dark hand on her chin. "You sure that's all? Everything you did up to that point seems correct. Or at least, that's what I do," she explained._

 _"I, um," I looked down at my hands and began to twiddle my thumbs nervously. "I actually… may have left out a detail," I confessed, feeling embarrassed. "I told myself that I wouldn't be able to do it since I couldn't do it when I was at the factory and my caretakers were threatening my life. I'm sorry I lied. I'm just—"_

 _"It's fine, Pearl," Garnet interrupted gently. "Don't beat yourself up over it. We all have our doubts. Sharing them with others is tough and I understand."_

 _"But how can I not beat myself up over it?" I burst in frustration, sitting down in the flowers. "I'm the only Pearl that can't summon her damn spear!" I spat, putting my head in my hands. "What good am I if I can't even do that…" I mumbled as I bit back my oncoming tears._

 _"Pearl," Garnet called softly. "You are good to me," she said, her tone low yet compassionate. "—And Rose. Even if you can't summon your spear, which I know you can." I looked up, and saw her extend her gloved hand to me. I reached out, and grabbed it tightly. Her lips pulled into a smile. She pulled lightly on my hand, and helped me up._

 _"I think I know what your issue is," Garnet said. I felt a fresh breeze move through my hair, and my eyes widened ever so slightly. "Your incident with the caretakers hurt your confidence, and now you think that you may never be able to summon your weapon. When you doubt yourself like that, you get distracted from the task at hand."_

 _I nodded my head in response. She put a hand softly on my shoulder. I didn't need to see her eyes to know she was looking directly at me._

 _"I know you can do this," Garnet encouraged. "—And so does Rose. Right now, you are the only one who thinks you can't do it. You have the power to do so, just believe in yourself and ignore that voice in the back of your head trying to stop you. I think that might help you a lot."_

 _I wiped my tears from my eyes, and nodded slowly. I slowly backed away from her, and took a deep breath before I closed my eyes. I exhaled calmly as I imaged my pearly white spear bursting from my gem. I felt my forehead get heat up as my gem began to glow._

 _"You got it, Pearl," I heard Garnet call to me. "I know you can do this!"_

 _I felt myself smile softly. For the first time, I felt the spear begin to form above my gem._ Keep focusing, _I ordered myself._

 _"You're so close," Garnet informed me._

I can do this, _I thought, truly believing in my inner abilities for the first time. I felt the spear complete itself, and I firmly grabbed it with my hands. I could hardly believe what I just did. My eyes flew open, and I stared at the weapon in my hand just to make sure that I actually did it._

 _I laughed in disbelief, and grinned wildly. "I did it," I stated with an ecstatic giggle. "I really, actually did it!" I looked up at Garnet and blinked. "I guess I owe you thanks," I told her. "—And probably an apology too. I overreacted… and I really hope I didn't make you uncomfortable… Sorry."_

 _"Psh, it's no problem," Garnet told me, flicking her hand down. "I'm just glad you found the strength within yourself to do it. Good job… I'm proud of you." She put her hand on her hip. "Also, I think you apologize too much."_

 _I laughed; it was true. "You're right. I'm sorry – oops!" I slapped my hands over my mouth and felt myself blush._

 _Garnet giggled. There was something I really liked about her laugh, it was so soft and pleasant. It made me want to laugh along with her. "You're funny," she commented, her head tilted slightly to the side. I suddenly felt a little better about my previous bout of awkwardness._

 _"So," I started. " - I have never really fought any one or anything before. Now that I am able to summon my spear, I really should get some fighting experience…"_

 _"If you are suggesting that I spar with you, the answer is yes," Garnet stated, seeming to have read my mind._

 _I gasped. "Wait, really?"_

 _"Of course. I wasn't just going to show you how to summon your weapon and then leave you to your own devices," she said, her accent becoming more apparent. Garnet took a deep breath and raised her strong arms above her head. Her gem began to glow bright red, and then very suddenly her fists were surrounded by sparkling light. She yanked her arms down as she exhaled, and suddenly the red light transformed into solid metal gauntlets. She rested her hands on her wide hips._

 _"You ready?" Garnet asked, a slight smirk on her face. She cracked her neck._

 _"I always am." I said, a determined grin beginning forming across my face. "Don't hold back!" I ran towards her, spear pointed straight for her gauntlets._

 _"I promise you I won't," Garnet dashed towards me, her feet faster than lightning._ Clank! _I saw flower petals fly away in the wind as my spear collided with her red gauntlets. I jerked my spear back, and squeezed it before whipping it back her way. Garnet must have known I was aiming to hit her; she leaned all the way back. My spear just barely missed her; another inch downward and I would have made contact with her gloves. She pushed herself back upright and reached her right hand out for my spear. I pulled my spear low behind my back, and then attempted to move it to the other side of my body. But it was no use; while I was distracted by my spear shenanigans, Garnet slid her feet forcefully across mine and tripped me._

 _"Oof!" I groaned as I smacked the ground forcefully. I let go of my spear, and it rolled away from me. Garnet picked it up, spun it around and then pointed it directly in my face._

 _"Good try," she told me. She stabbed the pointy tip of my spear into the ground and leaned an elbow on it. "But always keep an eye an your partner… You never know what tricks they may have up their sleeve." I saw the moonlight reflect off of her glasses._

 _I got up, and dusted all the plants and dirt off of me. "Good advice," I said, nodding my head. "What did I do well though?"_

 _"You really gave it your all, which I appreciate. It's hard to determine how you will act in a battle if you don't do this while sparring. Also, the spear-behind-the-back trick was really clever, just practice it more and you will –"_

 _She paused, and adjusted her glasses. Her mouth fell into a little 'o'._

 _"Will… what?" I asked, perplexed._

 _Garnet closed her mouth, and a much more serious expression replaced the one previous. "Never mind that! Right now, we have much more important matters at hand."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"Base center is in danger. I need to go, uh, sorry!" Garnet dashed away from me, a concerned look on her face. I saw her head through the forest and down in the general direction of base center._

 _I decided it would be best to follow her. I threw down my spear and chased after her. I weaved quickly through bushes and trees, keeping her in sight._

 _"Garnet! Wait!" I called, waving my hands in the air. "What's going on? What are you even talking about?" I jumped over a large boulder, my feet barely missing it. "Garnettttt!" I yelled after her, my shrill voice ripping through the misty mountain forest._

 _She didn't even flinch at my call. She had much bigger concerns. I guess I would just have to find out what was happening to base center for myself. I ran even faster after Garnet, trying to get back to the base as quick as my legs could carry me. I felt little beads of sweat begin to form on my forehead. I panted heavily as I wiped it away._

 _After what felt like forever, I watched Garnet shoot through the last bit of forest and into the base, slowing down her speed slightly as she went. I saw her finally come to a stop, and take a good look at her surroundings; only then I was able to catch up with her._

 _"Garnet!_ Garnet!" _I yelled after her, almost out of breath. "What the_ hell _is going on here –" I clapped my hand over my open mouth when I saw the thirty-foot tall celestial beast tear through the little base. Its big eyes glowed like bright yellow orbs in the dark. Its long, sleek pelt glimmered with stars and galaxies; looking like a portal into the cosmos itself. I saw its dark paws leave shimmering golden paw prints on the ground as it came bounding towards one gem in particular: Rose Quartz._

 _She stood beneath the canine monster, her pink sword extended to its hairy muzzle. She narrowed her eyes at the beast as if to say 'try me.'_

 _Garnet and I went dashing after the creature. As I attempted to summon my spear quickly (and failed), Garnet leaped into the air and went for the creature's back. As Garnet landed on its back, the beast turned around and snapped at her with its big white teeth. Garnet shot back from its mouth, and lost her balance on the landing. She fell off of the creature, and landed on the ground with a harsh_ thud.

Oh no! It's going to get her and break her gem, _I felt myself scream mentally. I remembered the advice she gave me earlier, and I made sure I only thought positively before summoning my spear. I felt the spear appear from my gem, and I grabbed it as fast as I possible could. I pulled the weapon back, and launched it towards the beast as it turned towards Garnet. The spear lodged itself in the beast's flank, and it shrieked in agony._

 _Those ominous yellow orbs locked onto me, and I saw the monster turn towards me before it began to run at full speed. My eyes widened, and I ran away as fast as I could from the agitated beast._

 _"Don't you dare touch her!" Rose cried as she slammed her sword into its side, throwing the monster off balance. Rose jumped away from the beast as it collapsed to the ground. I saw Garnet leap onto it, a determined look on her face. She lifted her armored fists high above her head, and slammed them onto the top of Rose's sword with more force than anything I had ever seen before. I winced as I saw the sword go even further into its belly. The beast let out its last cry before its physical form dissolved into glittery clouds of smoke. All that remained of the beast was a dull blue gem that fell pathetically into the grass._

 _Garnet picked up the gem with her big gauntlets and frowned at it. She tightened her grip around the gem, and began to crush it. I saw a little crack form in its side._

 _"Garnet!" Rose shrieked desperately, running towards her. "Don't!"_

 _Garnet released her grip on the gem. She looked utterly confused. "…Why? It's just a monster," she wondered. "It's just going to regenerate if I don't do something about it."_

 _"Don't kill it. I can bubble it," Rose reasoned, reaching her hands out for the little blue gem._

 _Garnet looked like she was going to question her further for a second, but then she must have changed her mind. She gently handed the gem over to Rose._

 _Rose smiled. "Thank you. I know it's different than what you do around here, but this is just what I like to do with monsters when I'm done with them," Rose explained. The gem levitated above her hands, and suddenly a bright magenta bubble formed around it. She gently tapped the bubble, and it dissipated into the misty air around it. "Off you go," Rose smiled pleasantly._

 _Garnet looked at me. I shrugged. I had never seen her do this before, and therefore had no explanation to offer._

 _"Well," Rose looked at us proudly and grabbed us by the shoulders. "I think that we make a great team! I have never taken care of a monster that quickly with anyone else… We should do this again sometime soon!"_

 _I nodded and I saw a smile light up Garnet's face. Rose looked at me, her eyes twinkling bright. "And I see that you learned something new today," she said, her tone sweet like sugar. She patted me on the head. "Good job!"_

 _"Thanks," I said, grinning confidently as I put my hands on my hips. "—But," I continued. "I wouldn't have been able to do it without Garnet's help," I said, flashing Garnet a smile. She gave me an appreciative thumbs up._

 _"Oh, I'm so glad you two get along! I was really hoping you would," Rose burst, clasping her hands together excitedly. "And Garnet, we will definitely come visit you again soon… I just can't keep away from Earth for too long! I just love it here too much."_

 _Light reflected off of Garnet's sunglasses. "Sounds like a plan," she said._

 _Rose looked around. "I should really get going now..." She gently grabbed Garnet's hands. "Thank you so much for having us today. It was lovely."_

 _"It's not a problem," she replied. She looked over at me. "And good job today, Pearl. It was nice to work with you."_

 _"You too. See you later! I'll visit you again here soon," I told her._

 _"Oh," she giggled very softly and adjusted her glasses. "I know you will."_

What is that supposed to mean, _I thought._ I like this gem a lot, but boy she is always saying the most mysterious things!

 _Rose waved to Garnet, and she waved back. "Well, bye then!"_

 _Soon after, we walked on onto the Homeworld warp pad, and I hesitated before grabbing Rose's arm. I was no longer scared of warping off planet, and I felt a little more confident in myself. I knew I could defend myself now if something were to go awry. But then I remembered how nice it felt to hold onto Rose's soft arms, and I grabbed it anyway. This time though, it was out of genuine want and not necessity._

 _She looked at me and giggled. "Still scared, huh?"_

 _I looked away from her and hesitated before I lied. "…Yeah."_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

 _Entry 3_

 _Date: November 5_ _th_ _, 5000 BC_

 _Unit 612_

 _Today I feel very special. Rose has shared some very interesting secrets with me! She even told me that I was the only one who knew, and that I could not tell anyone else! Oh, it makes me so very happy that Rose not only trusts me, but also trusts me with these important secrets above anyone else… I am truly ecstatic right now!_

 _The whole situation started with my own curiosity about the monster we hunted on Earth the other day. I remember sitting with her in her pink, cloudy room when I asked her the question._

 _"That monster that was on Earth… It probably isn't the only one, right?"_

 _Rose nodded her head. "Unfortunately so," she added. "Anywhere with gems has to have its monsters too."_

 _"Then, are there monsters on Homeworld too?"_

 _"Yes. You just don't see them very often around here," Rose confirmed._

 _"Why is that?" I asked, feeling perplexed by her answer._

 _"I…" Rose trailed off. "—I don't think I can tell you that." She looked away from me._

 _"Please?" I begged, grabbing her hands. "I promise you that I can keep a secret."_

 _Rose looked down at her hands, and then glanced back at me and sighed. "Oh alright," Rose gave in. "I will tell you on one condition: you can_ not _tell anyone."_

 _I looked her directly in the eyes and nodded. "My lips are sealed," I told her._

 _"Good," she replied. "To be honest, I think it's better if I show you why that is… Meet me in front of the estate at midnight. Make sure you are not followed. I will be waiting there for you."_

 _I gave Rose an eager thumbs up. "I'll be there," I said confidently._

 _I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited outside of the estate._ Maybe I shouldn't have shown up fifteen minutes early, _I thought, a frown beginning to form on my pale face. I just couldn't help it though; I was much too excited to wait for midnight. Plus, I thought that maybe Rose would applaud my preparedness if I showed up early… It's hard for me to pass up the potential for Rose's praise._

 _Misty fog rolled over the stone streets. I looked up in the sky, and was greeted by those two distant moons surrounded by a vast emptiness. Rose lived in the most populous city in the Quartz district, and as a result we never really got to see any stars where she lived. It was rather unfortunate how much light pollution the city gave off._

 _I began to twiddle my thumbs, a nervous habit of mine._ What if she thinks I'm weird for showing up so early, _I worried._ Oh, I should have waited a little longer! _I groaned in frustration and kicked a pebble._

 _I heard the rhythmic clicking of shoes against pavement behind me, and I turned around. Rose Quartz walked calmly towards me, her bubblegum pink curls flowing like thin sheets in the wind._

 _"Oh, I'm so sorry… I hope I didn't keep you waiting for long," she apologized._

 _"No, no. It's fine," I assured her, gesturing with my hands as I spoke._

 _"Are you sure? I did just hear you groan… It's fine if you're frustrated with me!"_

 _I turned bright blue, and widened my eyes in shock._ I can't believe she heard that! _I blinked, appalled._ And she even thinks I'm mad at her! Oh dear!

 _"Oh nononono," I spat quickly, combining the words as I waved my hands back and forth. "I'm not mad, I – uh, I was just…" I felt myself sweat nervously. I didn't know what to do: lie and pretend I was frustrated to hide my insecurities or tell the truth and endure that awful feeling of awkwardness._

 _"You can just say you were angry, Pearl. I won't get upset, I promise!" Rose said, her voice soft and comforting._

 _"O-okay…" I stuttered. I looked away from her gaze. "I was a little frustrated…" I cursed myself mentally for lying to her._

 _"I'll try to be more timely then. I'm glad you were honest with me!" Rose told me kindly. I looked away from her and felt a sharp pang of guilt. "Now, are you ready?"_

 _I met her gaze again. "Ready for what?"_

 _Rose looked at me and giggled, her face lighting up with excitement. "Oh, you'll see…" She turned sharply, and began to walk away from the estate without saying a word to me. I trailed closely behind her._

 _We traveled silently as we went deeper and deeper into the city. The particular section we were in was almost like a ghost town; devoid of gems and eerily quiet. A thick blanket of fog covered the pavement. I noticed a missing sign taped sloppily to the side of a crystal building. It was looking for a gem named Jet. I felt deeply unnerved, and I latched onto Rose's soft arm._

 _"It's usually places like this where monsters pop up," Rose commented, surveying our uncanny surroundings._

 _"…Usually?" I looked at her. "Uh, I thought you said that they weren't so common on Homeworld."_

 _Rose laughed, her tone light and mysterious. "I said they aren't commonly seen on Homeworld. Not that they aren't common."_

 _"What's that supposed to mean?" I felt confused._ And I thought Garnet was the mysterious one, _I thought._

 _She paused. "It's because of gems like me," she said, staring off into the distance. Rose turned and looked back at me. "And now I guess you too." She patted me on the head and giggled softly._

 _I heard a loud scuttling noise from an alley behind us. It startled me, and I jumped. A box was knocked pathetically to the ground with a soft_ boom. _I glanced over at Rose fearfully._

 _Rose smirked as her soft pink gem began to glow. "It looks like we have our first target of the night," she announced as she gracefully pulled her sword and her shield out of her gem. I followed suit and summoned my spear, cautiously pulling it down to my side. I still couldn't help but feel a little proud of myself for summoning it correctly on the first try. I secretly hoped that Rose noticed this also, but unfortunately she had no comments._

 _"It's over there, I think," I informed Rose, pointing to the dark alley with my spear. She nodded and dashed towards the alley, graceful and silent. I followed behind her as quietly as I could, mentally cursing my boots for being so squeaky. The alley was almost unnaturally dark and it emanated a bone-chilling breeze. I winced, and moved closer to Rose._

 _"Where is –"_

 _Rose put a pale finger over her pink lips and quickly shushed me. I mouthed her a quick sorry. Rose's gem began to glow, and the whole alley was alit with dim magenta light. My eyes surveyed the scene, and I gasped in horror and dropped my spear when I saw the monster._

 _Hanging eerily off the side of the leftmost building was an enormous black widow. A lacey veil the shade of burnt charcoal draped over its ugly head, and it covered its eyes sorrowfully with its first pair of hands. Its second pair of hands were folded together at its shelled chest. I heard it shriek in despair, almost like it was sobbing. I covered my ears and turned away from it fearfully._

 _Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rose lunge for the creature sword-first. It darted away from her unexpectedly fast, and Rose's sword forcefully pierced the crystalline wall. I heard her gasp softly in surprise, and I picked up my spear as I turned around to attack the oncoming monster._

 _It pounced on me before I could even get a hit on it, and pinned me down to the ground with its eight ugly arms. The creature hissed low and sinister to me as I struggled to free myself from its incredibly firm grim. It was no use; I was completely under its control. Fear washed over me like a bucket of ice-cold water when I realized that I was all out of options._

 _I finally heard Rose yank her saber free from the wall with a short sigh of relief. I looked at her and shrieked._

 _"R-Rose! Help—" I was cut off by the monster covering my mouth with its hairy exoskeletal hand. My eyes flicked to the side, and then directly up just in time to see Rose pounce on the creature and stab her pretty pink sword directly through its chest. It winced and then became limp just before it loosened its grip and finally collapsed on me. I shoved the corpse off of me just before I heard that familiar poofing sound_ _that signified that it was gone. I turned around to see a triangular black gem fall to the stone ground with a quiet_ click.

 _Rose's sword dematerialized into a cloud of shimmering pink just before she bent down to grab the last remnant of our arachnid attacker. Bright yellow light began to pour into the alley again like a liquid, eradicating all the last bits of darkness. She held up the little gem to the light, and watched it glint in the light. I saw her shiny pink lips curl upwards, ever so slightly._

 _I brushed all the dirt off of me, and popped up. I felt so shaken; I could hardly believe that I lived through that experience. But as soon as I saw Rose's eyes light up at the sight of her elegant magenta bubble form around the gem, I couldn't help but feel all my worries melt away into nothing. She tapped the bubble peacefully, and it whisked itself away to wherever those gems go._

 _I looked up into Rose's warm brown eyes. They shone like little sunsets in the bright light. "Thanks for uh—" I blushed slightly as I remembered getting taken down by that monster right in front of her. I grabbed onto my arm and looked away from her shyly. "Thanks for saving me," I finished quietly._

 _Rose patted me on the head and giggled. "Oh, it was no problem," she assured me. "And trust me, you will get better with experience. I'm sure that soon enough you will be the one saving me!"_

 _"Soon enough?" I blinked in surprise. "You mean that you are going to take me again?"_

 _"Of course, Pearl! Now that you know about the monsters, there's really no going back. Plus, it_ is _very nice to have a buddy with me on these hunting trips," Rose said, clasping her hands together excitedly as she spoke._ " _Oh! And since you're going to be helping me out with this from now on, I should really show you where I keep all these things bubbled up!" she exclaimed, her eyes twinkling like little stars._

 _"Really?" I could feel myself begin to smile._

 _"Mm-hmm!" Rose returned the grin. "Now let's head back so I can show you."_

 _After about thirty minutes of walking through the misty midnight city, we finally arrived back at the door to Rose's estate. I looked up at Rose, and saw her place a gentle hand on the decorative white door. An intricate rose pattern appeared on the door and began to expand rapidly, starting from her dainty hand. The door opened up, and Rose stepped calmly inside the strange room. I hesitated first, and then finally followed her inside._

 _The first thing I noticed about this odd place was that it was filled with bubbled gems of all shapes, sizes and color. They floated aimlessly around the ceiling, but not close enough to it to pop their little magenta bubbles. I couldn't help but be completely mesmerized by them; there must have been hundreds of them here._

 _Rose put a hand softly on my shoulder and looked down at me with a proud grin on her face. "I caught and bubbled almost all of these," she told me as she gestured to all the pink bubbles in the room with her hand. "Aren't they great?"_

 _"Are these all the monsters that have ever been on Homeworld?" I asked her, my voice swelling with awe._

 _Rose let out a short laugh. "Oh no, of course not. There are several others here who take care of the monsters just like me. These are just the ones that I happened to catch."_

 _"Really now," I breathed in astonishment and stared at all the bubbles. "That's a lot of monsters… If there are this many roaming around at night, how come I didn't really know they were here until now?"_

 _"We like to keep the monsters a secret from the general public as much as we can…" Rose trailed off. "We keep a curfew at night so that average gems aren't out and about when those like me are out rounding up all the monsters."_

 _"So they don't get hurt?"_

 _"Yeah," Rose looked away from me and stared blankly up at those pink bubbles. "Something like that." Rose looked back at me suddenly with a very serious expression on her face. "Now, you can't tell anyone about this. As far as any other gem knows, this place doesn't exist nor do the monsters. Got it, Pearl?"_

 _"But what about Garnet? She already knows about the monsters and seems to have known for a while," I said to her._

 _"Garnet is fine… you don't know anything that she doesn't know already, and Earth gems are a little different than the ones on Homeworld. But no one other than us two here on Homeworld can know. If all the Homeworld gems were to find out about them, it could cause a worldwide panic! It's just better to keep the monsters under wraps. The less they know, the better."_

 _"I promise that I won't tell… Don't worry, Rose! I won't let you down," I stated confidently with my hands on my hips._

 _"Well good," she responded with a little giggle. "I'm glad I have someone I can trust. Thank you for keeping this a secret for me."_

 _"Oh it's no problem… I'm glad to help you, Rose!" I said with a sincere grin._

 _"I appreciate that a lot, Pearl," Rose told me, placing a hand gently on my shoulder. "Now," she started. "How about we head back to our rooms? Although the basement is lovely and the bubbled monsters make_ great _company, I would much rather be up in my room."_

 _"That sounds like a plan," I replied._

 _Rose walked calmly towards one of the egg white marble walls and placed a hand on it. Her usual pink insignia appeared on the wall, before fading into an open passageway to her cloudy room. She entered through the doorway and then suddenly turned around to me and smiled. "Good job tonight, Pearl!" she shouted, her voice sweet as sugar. "I'll take you with me again soon!"_

 _I blinked and then blushed deep blue as I turned away from her gaze. "T-thanks, Rose..." I trailed off as I began to twirl my hair around my finger shyly. She waved me goodbye as the door appeared again with her symbol cycling slowly on it, and then she was gone, just like that._

 _After Rose left, I turned away from the wall and gripped my fists close to my chest. I felt myself let out a loud delighted laugh, and I grinned wildly. Then, I jumped up in the air without even thinking, and shouted a gleeful 'yes' at the top of my lungs. I was overjoyed that Rose not only trusted me with this top-secret information, but thought I was good enough to take on another trip. I was amazed by her confidence in me._

 _Once I had calmed myself down a bit, I summoned the door to my room and jumped in. I heard the metallic clink of the door closing itself, and I couldn't help but think about the mission I had just been on._ If I am to go on another one of these missions, _I thought,_ I really can't be a burden to Rose like I was this time. She can't always be the one saving me. If I want to pay Rose back for saving me that fateful day, I need to become strong enough to save her someday, _I decided mentally as I descended into the cool waters of my room._ I should really pay Garnet a visit then… She is the strongest gem I know. I bet she could teach me how to be strong.

 _I swam gracefully through the clear waters and appeared at the top of one of the porcelain bowls near the ceiling of my room._ Yes, _I decided,_ that's what I'll do. _I closed my eyes and felt my gem glow hot as I summoned a small wailing stone from its inside. I gently placed it down into the shallow water, and quickly tapped the button with my hand._

 _"Hello… Uh, Garnet?" I breathed awkwardly into the device, hoping I was using it correctly. "If you're there, I need to see you as soon as possible."_

 _I heard the other end pick up after a good five seconds and I breathed in surprise. "Alright. I was wondering when you would come see me again," Garnet replied, her voice low and elegant. "You can come now if you want. I'll be waiting for you in the meadow."_

 _"Okay… I'll be there!" I said eagerly._

 _Not an hour after our conversation, I entered the meadow on Earth prepared to improve. I felt the flowery scented breeze brush against my pale face as I proceeded from the line of tall trees into the little clearing. I peered to my right, and then to my left before I found Garnet sitting nonchalantly in the cave behind the waterfall._

 _Garnet must have known that I was there very quickly, because she immediately stood up and sauntered over to me. "Right on time," Garnet observed, smirking ever so slightly. "I knew I could count on you."_

 _I didn't exactly know how to reply to that, so I just nodded my head and offered her my hand affirmatively._

 _Garnet firmly shook my hand and grinned pleasantly. "It's good to see you again, Pearl. What brings you here today?"_

 _"Well," I started, dragging out the end of the word. "I realize now that I am terrible at fighting…" I began to play with my fingers. "Never was made for it, I guess. But I would really love to improve! And since you were so good at helping me last time, I figured I would come and ask you again for help. Will you help me, Garnet?" I asked her, suddenly feeling anxious that she would decline._

 _"Yeah, sure," Garnet agreed. "It's not like I got much to do around here anymore now that my superior has gone missing."_

 _"Oh, thank you!" I exclaimed eagerly as I grabbed her hands with mine. I blinked and looked aside. "And, uh, sorry about that… That's rather unfortunate."_

 _"Ehh, it's not so bad. She really sucked. I'd much rather spend that time with you anyhow," Garnet explained, pulling her hands away and shrugging her shoulders. "And you're welcome."_

 _I flashed her an appreciative smile. "How about we start with sparring today?" I suggested._

 _"I was just about to say that," Garnet commented. She lifted her arms high above her head, and effortlessly summoned her gauntlets. She put her armored hands on her wide hips and waited for me to do the same._

 _I closed my eyes and waited for my gem to glow. Then, I pulled my spear and yanked it down to my side. I felt the tip of the spear pierce the dirt, and I leaned on it confidently with my arm._

 _Garnet crossed her arms and smiled. "You're getting much better, Pearl. Have you been working on summoning your spear?"_

 _I nodded my head proudly. I was hoping that she would notice that._

 _"Good. I can tell," she informed me. Garnet held out her arms defensively. "Now, how about we get to sparring?"_

 _I nodded in response, and extended my spear._

 _We sparred for a good hour after that. Garnet gave me some very solid advice on how to improve my fighting skills, just as I expected her to. I even managed to get a good hit or two on Garnet before we finally stopped to take a break. I thought it was a wonderful session, if not my best so far (despite only sparring once before)._

 _Garnet plopped down in the flowery grass, and wiped the sweat off of her face. "Whew," she sighed. "That was a great session. You're improving a lot, Pearl." She patted the grass with her hand to signal me to sit by her. I followed her signal, and gently sat down in the grass beside her. She calmly laid down in the soft grass, and placed her hands behind her head._

 _Garnet stared off into the calm late-afternoon sky through her thick lenses. "I have never seen anyone improve as fast as you have…" Garnet trailed off. She turned her head quickly to look at me. "What's your secret?"_

 _"Well," I began, lying down in the vivid green grass right beside her. "Let's just say that I have to be good at fighting … I have a reason to fight now." I smiled confidently and peered over at her._

 _Garnet turned away from me and back towards the sky. I noticed the sky begin to change color as the sun began to dip sleepily below the horizon. "That makes sense." She pulled one gloved hand out from under her curly black hair and brought it towards her face. She seemed to study it closely before placing it back behind her head. "So let me guess," Garnet said, turning back to face me. "Rose is taking you to fight monsters with her, and that's why you came to me."_

 _I blinked in surprise and met her invisible gaze. "H-how did you know?" I gasped, astonished by Garnet's incredible intuition._

 _I heard a soft chuckle from her. One side of her full lips curled up into a knowing smirk. "Heh, just a lucky guess."_

 _"Garnet," I breathed. I saw the first stars of the night appear at the edge of the sky. "Have you ever been on a hunt with Rose? Do you know about –"_

 _"Yup," she cut me off, staring back into the ever-changing sky. "I have known about the monsters on Homeworld for a while now, actually." She picked a daisy out of the grass and sat upright. She twisted it gently within her grip, careful not to crush it. "Y'know, I was Rose's hunting companion before you."_

 _I shot upright and looked at her. "Wait, really?"_

 _"But then, she helped me move here so I could get away from the Homeworld gems who don't approve of those like me." Garnet passed me the little flower, and I picked it from her soft, dark hand. "And now that job is passed onto you," she said softly, her voice low and tender. Garnet gave me an assuring grin and put a hand on my shoulder. "I_ know _you will do a great job."_

 _I placed my hand on top of hers and squeezed it lightly. "…Thanks," I breathed, a soft smile slowly forming on my face as I peered over at her. "That means a lot coming from someone as brave and as strong as you. I won't let you down." I slid my hand away slowly from hers, and grabbed the tiny flower. I scooted closer to her and leaned in close, flower in hand. I tucked the flower in between her big shades and her thick curls of black hair._

 _"There," I said quietly. I moved back to where I was before. "That's a good look on you, Garnet," I told her with a giggle, hoping she would get my reference._

 _I heard her laugh quietly. "Well, if I get a flower," she began, as she picked a daisy sneakily from behind her back. "—Then you should get one too. Then we can look good together."_

 _I gave her a cheeky grin and let out a loose laugh. "Oh how considerate of you, Garnet."_

 _She stood up and walked behind me. I felt her move my strawberry blonde hair out of the way and tuck the flower underneath my ponytail._

 _I heard her pull her sunglasses off and hand them to me. "Here," she offered. I took them carefully, and pointed them towards my face to see my reflection. As I studied the tiny daisy in my hair, I couldn't help but notice that Garnet turned her face away from me._ Well that's odd, _I thought._ Does she have something to hide under those thick sunglasses?

 _Garnet stuck her hand over my shoulder and made a quick 'gimme' motion, all while still looking away from me. I hesitated for just a second, before finally handing her the shades. I heard her put them back on her face from behind me._

 _"Now we match," Garnet observed. She glanced up at the now dark sky._

 _Before I had a chance to reply, Garnet cut me off. "Hmm, It's getting pretty late… How about we head back? We will have plenty of chances to spar later."_

 _"Yeah, good idea. I remember what happened last time we were out late here," I agreed with a chuckle, recalling the monster we fought together the other day in base center. She offered me her hand, and I latched firmly onto it. With a hard yank, Garnet helped pull me off of the ground. I dusted all the grass and petals off of myself before following Garnet back into the line of trees and finally back into base center._

 _I couldn't help but feel happy as I pleasantly waved Garnet goodbye on that marble warp pad. I had such a nice time with her that night… I feel like maybe, just maybe I was beginning to crack her mysterious outer shell. As I whisked off to the Galaxy warp, I hoped that soon Garnet would follow in Rose's footsteps and begin to trust me enough to share more about herself. I gently took the flower out of my hair and held it close to my chest; hoping with all my heart that I would be able to get to know her better some day._


	4. Chapter 4

**(AN: hey there! Thank you so much for reading… I appreciate it a lot! I am going to be very busy in the next week or so, so chapter five make take a little more time than usual to write!)**

Chapter Four

 _Entry 4_

 _Date: November 6_ _th_ _, 5000 BC_

 _Unit 612_

 _I feel like someday my curiosity is going to get the best of me. Every time I learn something new, even more mysteries are brought to my attention. Sometimes I feel like for every new tidbit of information I learn, two new questions are raised as a result… It's very frustrating! This whole ordeal reminds me of how little I know about this universe or its inhabitants… We are all just little mysteries dwelling within an even bigger enigma, aren't we?_

 _This all started with the mystery of Garnet's sunglasses. After I got back to Homeworld last night, I couldn't help but wonder what she was hiding from the world beneath those thick yellow shades. Did she have some kind of scar from an injury she received on Homeworld that she was sensitive about showing to others? Maybe her eyes were very sensitive and it hurt her to take them off… Could there be an embarrassing tattoo that she got on her forehead? Or maybe she isn't comfortable with looking other gems in the eye. Many different and very improbable possibilities raced through my head before I even got the simple idea to just go ask._

 _I assumed that Rose would most likely have the answer I want for me. I jogged up to the stark white door to her room, and gave it a quick knock. After a quiet five seconds, I heard a quiet whirling noise and saw Rose's flowery pink symbol appear. The door opened wide, and Rose Quartz stepped elegantly out of the bright white light, a look of pure curiosity upon her pretty face. She blinked, and looked down upon me. "Oh, hello Pearl," she greeted me pleasantly. "What do you need?"_

 _"I, um, have a couple of questions… And I think you may just have the answers to them. Could I ask you something, if you don't mind?" I asked, my voice wavering nervously. I desperately hoped that I wasn't interrupting something important of hers._

 _"Yes, of course!" she responded. "Go ahead. Ask away!"_

 _Her response made me feel a little better, and I smiled. "Well, I just have a quick question about Garnet." I looked down and played with my fingers, and then I looked back up at her. "Why does she wear those sunglasses all the time?"_

 _Rose laughed. "Because she wants to, silly!"_

 _I frowned. "Well I know that! She wouldn't be wearing them if that were not the case!" I blurted, feeling a tad frustrated. "Can you give me a straight answer, please?"_

 _Rose appeared to be somewhat taken aback by my response._

 _I grabbed my arm and held onto it gently, feeling guilty. "…Sorry," I mumbled, blushing._

 _"No, no. It's fine," Rose said, her tone soft and comforting. She clasped her pale hands together and looked away from my gaze. "But unfortunately," she frowned. "—I don't think it's really in my place to tell you… Sorry."_

 _"Why?" I asked, crossing my arms._

 _"It's really her secret, not mine. And it's a secret that could hurt her if revealed… I'm not sure if she would be comfortable with me telling you," Rose explained calmly. "You could try asking her sometime though."_

 _"But would she even trust me?" I asked, feeling anxious._

 _"I don't know," Rose replied. She paused and looked around. "But you could try… Garnet usually knows very early on whether or not someone can be trusted." Rose smiled at me sweetly. "And I think that you can be trusted."_

 _"Thanks," I grinned back in response. "I suppose why Garnet knows if I am trustworthy or not is probably another one of her secrets too."_

 _"I'd say so," Rose confirmed, nodding her head in agreement. Dull red light began to pour onto her face as the first of the three distant suns rose slowly above the Homeworld horizon. I glanced up._ Sunrise, _I recognized mentally._

 _"Well then," I said, peering back at Rose. "I guess I better get on that now… I'll call her up through the wailing stone." I chuckled awkwardly and clasped my hands behind my back. "I hope she won't think I'm a bother for contacting her so much lately."_

 _Rose shook her head and put a hand on my shoulder. "Nonsense, Pearl. I'm certain she's happy to help you."_

 _I smiled, feeling grateful. I really appreciated all the support Rose had been giving me. "Thanks for the encouragement. It makes me feel… better."_

 _"Great. I'm glad to help." Rose grinned and turned back towards the open door and waltzed inside. "Good luck, Pearl!" she shouted positively, giving me a thumbs up as the door whirled back shut and she disappeared from view._

 _I turned away from the door and clenched my fists as I thought about what I was about to do. I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the stale Homeworld air before finally summoning the wailing stone from inside my gem. The object appeared suddenly, floating in the air before I made the mistake of loosing focus. The wailing stone came crashing to the ground, cracking loudly against the pavement. It wobbled back and forth before settling pathetically on its side._

 _"Nononono," I blended the words together under my breath as I came rushing over to the wailing stone. I grasped my hands onto the object and pulled it upright, broken fragments sliding out from the rock as it moved._ I better not have broken this, _I grumbled mentally as I pressed the golden button on its top. I put my ear up to it and heard nothing but silence._

 _I groaned in frustration and kicked the device, shards of rock flying out from it as it flew through the air. It landed several feet away from me with a loud_ crack _. I sighed and turned away from the broken machine._ I guess I will just have to go there unannounced, _I crossed my arms as I decided. I cautiously stepped onto the marble warp pad outside of the door to Rose's estate._

 _"Garnet's in for a surprise now," I grumbled as the warp pad whisked me away to Earth._

 _As the blue light of the warp faded away from me, I realized that I had descended upon a scene of absolute chaos. A giant serpent had begun to wreak havoc on the little Earth base. Buildings lay in pathetic crumbles behind the snake's torn up path, and many great trees had been toppled over. From what I saw, it seemed that about a fourth of the small base had been completely decimated by the ruthless serpentine beast._

 _I looked to my right and saw a gem slam into the beast at lightning speed. The serpent let out an anguished hiss that shook the very ground I stood on. The burgundy gem pounded the snake mercilessly with her gauntlets before it turned and struck her with its thick tail. She was shot back and slammed into the side of a building, letting out a harsh cry of pain before sliding limply to the grassy ground._

 _I felt myself shriek when I realized the identity of this gem. "Garnet!" I cried as I summoned my spear. I quickly dashed over to her with my spear held out defensively. Then I pointed the spear at the snake and held my hand out to block off Garnet from its path._

 _I saw a flash of red, black, and yellow stripes out of the corner of my eye and I knew that the snake had chosen me as its new target. I pulled my spear behind my shoulder, lunged and then released the weapon at the enormous serpent. The spear lodged itself within the snake's tail, and blood like liquid gold leaked out of the wound. The snake's shriek boomed over the vast landscape. I heard it echo as the creature slithered rapidly towards Garnet and me._

 _Garnet groaned in pain behind me and rubbed her head slowly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her peer up at me and I heard her gasp. "Pearl," she breathed in pain as she stood up. I saw the red glow of her gauntlets being summoned as she moved shakily to my side. "What are you doing here?"_

 _"There's no time to explain," I replied firmly as another spear materialized from my gem. "Let's just take care of this first!"_

 _Garnet nodded curtly. "Got it." I saw Garnet rush forward towards the serpent, and slam into the creature fists first._

 _I followed suit and stabbed the creature with my spear as I pounced onto it. I latched onto the handle of the spear and twisted it as hard as I possibly could, forcing the weapon deeper and deeper into the snake's side. The enormous serpent threw back its ugly head and shrieked loud into the cloudy sky. It then turned around and stared right at me with its one eye before it snapped at me with its sharp teeth. I shot backwards to avoid its mouth, and felt myself slip backwards in a mud puddle. I felt the air get knocked out of my lungs as I landed flat on my back right in the mud. I slowly looked up, feeling weak as I saw the vicious snake lunge for me._

 _I felt the sharp pain of the serpent's fangs pierce through the pale blue flesh of my right leg, and I screamed in agony. The snake began to hoist me into the air by my one leg and I began to flail about in sheer panic. I could feel my leg get more and more torn up with each move. "Garnet!" I shrieked in horror as I felt my warm blue blood begin to trickle down my calf. "G-Garnet! Help me!"_

 _The snake was hit with a mighty blow and it released me from its firm grip. I saw my shoulder collide with the ground hard soon after and I let out a sharp cry of pain as I heard it crack. My vision blurred around the edges, and I could hardly make out the sight of Garnet delivering the final blow to the snake. I panted heavily and rubbed my shoulder as I heard the_ poof _._

 _I peered over to Garnet and the gem. She was just staring at it, a suspecting grimace forming across her face. She did not pick up the little cube of a gem._

 _"Garnet," I coughed weakly. I attempted to move over to her without much success; the stark pain of the snakebite on my leg was too much to bear. I winced and collapsed in the mud, clawing at my leg with my dirty hands._

 _"No," Garnet whispered quietly. "It can't be…" Garnet picked up the gem and held it gently with her gauntlets, the edges of her mouth curving downward into a frown._

 _"Garnet," I breathed as I crawled my way over to her, desperately attempting to block out the pain._

 _"Oh no, Pearl!" she turned away from the gem and glanced at me. Then, Garnet came rushing over to my side, the little yellow gem gripped tightly in hand. She kneeled down beside me and closely observed my wounded leg. Her gem began to glow through her gauntlets, and I saw her retrieve a scarf from inside of it. She placed her strong dark hands on my leg and gently propped it up before wrapping the little red scarf around it tightly. She silently tied the ends of it into a tight knot._

 _I peered up at her through blurry eyes. "Garnet," I breathed weakly. "What's… What's wrong?" I propped myself up, wincing as I felt pain as sharp as a knife shoot throughout my right shoulder._

 _Garnet looked down silently. A frown began to form across her face, and she looked away from me._

 _I reached my arm out shakily, and then I grasped her gauntlet. I felt the gauntlet grow pleasantly warm as it began to glow and then finally dematerialize into thin air. My weak hand landed right on hers, and I gave it a firm squeeze and smiled gently._

 _"Please," I whispered as I carefully scooted closer to her. "I'm here to help you… Just like you helped me…"_

 _Garnet sighed, and I felt her tense her fist. "I'm just so confused…" She brought the gem closer to her face. "This has to be a mistake. I must be wrong," Garnet spat, her voice much firmer than before._

 _"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice a fragile whisper._

 _Garnet bit her lip and looked down at the gem. "This gem…" She paused. "I knew it. I knew_ her _! And the monster must have gotten her somehow!"_

 _My eyes widened in horror and I covered my open mouth with my hand. "Who was it?"_

 _Garnet closed her hand around the little metallic gem. "This gem was my superior that I told you about when I saw you last…" She unclasped her hand and brought the cubic gem towards my face. It glinted dully in the dim light of the clouded-over sun. "…Pyrite."_

 _I gasped and looked back at her. "What are you trying to say here?" I asked, disbelieving. "What does this mean?"_

 _"I… I don't know," Garnet sighed, her voice cracking on the last word. "It has to be one of two things: either Pyrite was a monster all along, or she was just a normal gem who got killed by the serpent." The gem glinted again in the light._

 _I felt the corners of my lips curl downward into an anxious frown. "I don't think it's either of those things, Garnet," I whispered, my voice weak._

 _"Then_ what _is it?" she spat, staring right at me. I took my hand off of hers and blinked in unpleasant surprise._

 _"I don't want to believe it, but I think Pyrite must have_ become _the monster…" I trailed off, looking away from her. "Think about it: if she was a superior, then how could she be a monster all along? A lot of time and experience on the job is required to even be considered for that position… If she were a monster, she would have been discovered long before even coming to Earth. And considering she went missing, a giant serpent killing and kidnapping the gem of a superior would be kind of hard sight to miss. She must have gone off somewhere by herself and somehow became a monster."_

 _Garnet sighed. "Unfortunately I think you're right… I'm sorry for snapping. This just scares me. A lot. I'm so confused… I don't want to believe it either."_

 _I put my hand on her shoulder and looked directly at her. "It's fine," I replied quietly. "And I'm sorry about what happened… That's so horrible."_

 _She looked away from me silently. I frowned._

 _"Are you okay?" I asked, my voice soft and full of concern. I grabbed her hand again._

 _"For once I don't know what anything means. And I'm scared. C… Can this happen to us too?" Garnet whispered, her voice fragile._

 _I covered my mouth and gasped. Tears began to flood my blue eyes when I realized that this ending could absolutely be a possibility for me now. "I don't know," I replied blankly. Then I begin to feel anger rising up inside me like boiling water. "I really don't know what anything means anymore!"_

 _"Hm… Then we should ask someone who seems to know it all," she said darkly. Her burgundy gem began to sparkle and glow, and suddenly a wailing stone appeared from it. It landed crooked on the muddy grass with a small splash. She firmly hit the golden button on top with her clenched fist, and the wailing stone flickered to life. "Rose Quartz," Garnet sighed into the contraption. "We need to talk. Meet me in the Gem base at dawn tomorrow."_

 _I inhaled and glanced back at Garnet. "I think I'm going to stay here on Earth tonight…" I stated anxiously. "I'm just so shaken by this… I don't want to go back right now."_

 _Garnet looked at me with a blank expression. "That's fine," she mumbled._

 _I gestured to the gem in her hand. "What should we do about that? Bubble her?"_

 _Garnet nodded solemnly as she stood up. "That's all we can do for now." She wrapped her hands around the gem and a bright red bubble formed around it. The bubbled Pyrite gem floated above hers. Garnet tapped it stiffly and it dissipated into the misty air._

 _I tried standing up, but as soon as I put pressure on my right leg I collapsed back into the mud. The intense pain forced me to wince, and I let out an unpleasant groan in response to the sheer agony I felt._

 _"Here," Garnet said lowly as she bent down. "I got you." She gently put her hands under my back and my thighs and pulled me up as softly as possible. Her strong arms held me without any struggle._

 _"Thanks," I spoke quietly. "Could you take me to the meadow?"_

 _She nodded silently, and then we were off._

 _I am torn between wishing I knew everything or knowing nothing at all. What is better: learning all the hard truths of this world or staying in an ignorant bliss? I asked Garnet what she thought when we got to the meadow, and she stated that she would much rather be made aware. Then something like this would never happen to her again. She wouldn't let it._

 _Despite Garnet's opinion, I still can't decide what would be best. Could she prevent this if it were to happen again, even with the knowledge to stop it? How would we feel if we failed to save someone from this cruel fate, especially someone we cared about? And what other heavy burdens would the truth bring her… Bring us?_

 _But then again, to live in ignorance seems just as awful. To never discover the tragic fate of our fellow gems and live blissfully unaware of the horror that awaits us… Would I be telling the truth if I said that I preferred such a selfish reality?_

 _I don't know what the answer to my question is. I guess I will find out tomorrow when we meet with Rose._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

 _Entry 5_

 _Date: November 7_ _th_ _, 5000 BC_

 _Unit 612_

 _I don't know what to think anymore. I want to be angry, I want to be sad, but all I can feel is vast confusion. I have come to the sudden realization that nothing is ever simple, and we are all doomed to complication. All I wish for is simplicity, why can't certain things just be all right or all wrong. I long for someone to blame for all this mess, but there is no one. We are all victims of a cruel fate._

 _That dawn, Rose appeared on the warp pad just as she was asked. Her warm brown eyes searched back and forth, and then finally lit up when they landed upon us. "Pearl! Garnet!" Rose called eagerly as she strode towards us, arms outstretched to hug us._

 _I bit my lip and looked away from her gaze. I saw Garnet stiffen up and cross her arms out of the corner of my eye._

 _Rose slowed down to a stop in front of us, and her delighted expression disappeared from her face in an instant. Her eyes locked onto my bandaged leg and she gasped. "Oh no!" she burst, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "Pearl," she cooed as she rushed over to my side. "What happened to you?"_

 _"I –We—"_

 _"Never mind that." Garnet cut me off, her voice as sharp as a knife. I looked up at her anxiously. I had not expected that kind of response from her. "That story can be told later. We have much more important matters at hand," Garnet stated._

 _"Garnet wait," Rose breathed and put her hands together. "What do you mean?"_

 _"Where do the monsters come from?" Garnet snapped._

 _I blinked and grabbed onto my arm._

 _"What prompted this, Garnet? What happened?" Rose asked, her smooth voice swelling with concern._

 _"Just answer my question," Garnet whispered low and harsh. She frowned and tilted her head. "I_ know _you know the answer."_

 _Rose sighed and a tear slid down her pale cheek. "I hoped you two would never ever find out. Most gems go their whole life without knowing. It's better not to," she explained, her voice as soft and fragile as glass._

 _"I don't care. I want the truth, as harsh as it is." Garnet replied. "Do you think I can't handle it?"_

 _"No!" Rose retorted. She sighed and appeared absolutely defeated. "I can hardly handle it myself… I don't want this for you too!" Her voice broke on the last word._

 _"Rose," Garnet spoke a little more kindly as she put a hand on her shoulder. "I let you keep your secrets, and I don't poke around in them because it isn't my place to. But this is different. This secret of yours… It could affect all of us."_

 _Rose Quartz gazed away from Garnet and frowned. She looked almost guilty._

 _"Please, Rose," Garnet begged softly. "How long have you known me? How many of my secrets do you know? How few of yours do I know in comparison?" Garnet sniffled as she clenched her fist. "Why can't you trust me?"_

 _Rose appeared to be completely taken aback. Tears began to flow freely down her face as she blinked. "Garnet," she whimpered as she wiped her tears from her eyes. "I—I'm so sorry…"_

 _"Then tell me the truth!" Garnet snapped as a single tear slid down her face. "I hate being kept in the dark all the time!"_

 _"But it's for your own good!" Rose spat back._

 _"You mean_ your _own good, and not mine! Do you even care about anyone else's feelings right now?" Garnet growled._

 _I felt myself gasp and cover my mouth. That was bold._

 _"N-No…" she sighed and stepped back from Garnet. "Garnet… You're right. I'm being selfish here." Rose paused and sniffled. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I have a hard time taking others feelings into consideration… I'll tell you whatever you need to know about the monsters."_

 _I grabbed onto Rose to comfort her as I gazed over at Garnet. She looked at Rose and nodded her head. "…Thank you." She wiped her cheek solemnly and adjusted her sunglasses. "Now, where do the monsters come from?"_

 _"It's not where the monsters come from," Rose began hollowly. "It's_ what _they come from. Can you guess?"_ _Rose peered down and kicked a pebble._

 _"So t-they come from gems?" I took a breath as I felt the horror finally hit me. "Gems, just like us?"_

 _"Correct," she confirmed, her voice soft. I gulped._

 _"But how?" I said weakly as my eyes began to fill with tears. "W-why?"_

 _"We don't know why… It just happens," Rose choked out through heavy tears. "I have tried my best to stop it, but I can't!" Rose's voice broke on the last few words._

 _"Will this happen to all of us? Eventually?" Garnet whispered, a hand over her mouth. She turned to Rose and removed her hand. "Are we all doomed?"_

 _"Not necessarily," Rose replied. "It's usually pretty rare for this to happen… Think of all of the gems in the galaxy; there are billions roaming freely. How many monsters have you seen? Only a small handful compared to that. Becoming a monster is very much a possibility for a gem, but it is a very small possibility."_

 _"Rose," I said as I thought of all the bubbled gems. "Is that why you bubble all the gems of monsters instead of smashing them?"_

 _"Yes," she sighed. "I don't want to kill the poor gems that this has happened to. Living their whole life without knowing their impending fate and then suddenly becoming something unrecognizable. They must be so scared…"_

 _Garnet stared down at her trembling hands. "…How many gems have I smashed with these hands while not knowing the truth?" A single tear slid down her face and fell onto her dark palm. She collapsed into the muddy grass and let out an anguished sob that shook my very soul. "How many gems have others killed unintentionally? When I become one of them… will someone smash me too? Will they just think I was some soulless killing machine with no past instead of someone who had a life and feelings and friends?"_

 _Rose's face twisted into a frown. She took a small step back from Garnet, and covered her mouth with her hand._

 _Garnet stared back up at Rose, tears cascading down her dark cheeks from under her sunglasses. "You could have stopped me... You could have told me! You could have told me the truth before I started crushing all those corrupted gems! Why didn't you?" Garnet cried._

 _"I couldn't have! As a society, this is our biggest secret… and as a leader it is my duty to keep it! If everyone knew, it would send us into a mass state of panic over something that isn't even guaranteed to happen. They have to live unaware of the monsters to keep the peace. To the public, the gems that become corrupted just go missing forever. No one even realizes that something even worse happens to them."_

 _"That's so horrible… How many gems have just disappeared without a trace? And no one knew what even happened to them? Just suddenly gone forever with no explanation from anyone?" Garnet winced and turned away from us. "It's sickening!"_

 _I recalled the missing poster that I saw on my first mission with Rose._ Jet, _I thought._ Did she have friends? A job? I wonder what her life was like before… _I whimpered, and felt a tear slide down my face._

 _"Believe me, I know… But that's just how it has to be," Rose spoke. She wiped her face and sighed. "But if it makes you feel any better, Garnet, I used this concept to help get you a new life here on Earth." She bent down and placed a gentle hand on Garnet's shoulder. "Who you were before now went missing without a trace. No one questioned it. The next day, a gem named Garnet had been accepted to a position on Earth, and now you are here," Rose smiled. "So if you feel sad about all those lost gems, just remember: it is the very reason why you are here today!"_

 _Garnet turned slowly to Rose, and gave her the coldest expression. "Taking advantage of the fate of those unfortunate missing gems to get me here doesn't make me feel any better at all, thank you." Garnet stood up slow and steady. She quickly turned away from us. "I thought you were better than that, Rose," Garnet called over her shoulder as she disappeared into the thick forest brush._

 _I blinked in shock and stared at the forest._

 _Rose stood up slowly and stared at the ground. Her thick pink hair whipped around in the cold breeze. I turned around and peered over at her, my heart swelling with concern._

 _"Pearl," she called, her voice weak. Her wild hair obscured her eyes from my view. She sniffled and held onto her arm. "Do you hate me now?"_

 _I blinked. "What?" I said, shaking my head. "No! Never."_

 _I saw her wipe her eyes. Rose glanced over her shoulder and looked at me. "Thanks… I appreciate how loyal you are to someone as bad as me."_

 _"Rose, don't be silly…" I walked over to her and grabbed onto her arm. I gave it a light squeeze and smiled to her. "You'll never be bad… At least, not to me."_

 _"I'm sure Garnet hates me now… What I said came off much ruder than I had intended it to." Rose let out a defeated chuckled. "Wow, I am bad at this… Being a leader… Being a friend. I really let her down, didn't I?"_

 _"Nonsense, Rose," I replied, my voice sweet and comforting. "You're perfect."_

 _She grinned, and a tear dripped off of her chin and onto her dress. "Do you really think so?"_

 _"Absolutely," I confirmed with a smile. "Since Garnet probably doesn't want to see you right now," I began gently, changing the subject. "-I could go talk to her and try to help her feel better about this situation. I have a good feeling about where she may be."_

 _"Would you really?" Rose said, her voice brighter than before._

 _"Yes, of course!" I assured her. "I care about her, and it hurts me to see her so upset… and it hurts me to see you so upset too!" I rubbed my wet eyes. "I just hope I can help us to all get along again just like before… We had a good thing going, didn't we?"_

 _"Yes," Rose replied. "We all make a great team."_

 _"And I wouldn't want that to fall apart for the world… You and Garnet are my only friends and I really hate to see you fight," I explained as twiddled my thumbs. "I'll try my best."_

 _Rose ruffled my hair. Her expression was appreciative but tired. "Thanks, Pearl. You're a great friend."_

 _I felt my cheeks blush bright blue. "Uh, thanks," I replied awkwardly as I turned away from her. I looked back over my shoulder. "Bye Rose! I hope you feel better about what happened soon. I'll try to help Garnet!"_

 _Rose gave me a sad wave. "Thanks so much. I'll see you later! Good luck."_

 _I smiled to her before I darted into the thick forest. But I felt that smile fade away as I recalled all the horrible things that just happened. I wished there was someone specific to blame for this awful mess, but there wasn't. I couldn't blame Rose because she was just doing her job as a leader. I can't blame Garnet; she's just a victim of this mess._

 _I just hope that I can help Garnet see that this is not Rose's fault. There is no one to blame and no one to fight and the only thing that is at fault is our own cruel biology._


	6. Chapter 6

**(AN: I have a headcanon that it took a very long time for garnet to become confident about being a fusion considering homeworld's treatment of them… It took a lot of encouragement and acceptance from her friends to finally accept herself. I don't think she was always as confident about being a fusion as she was in jailbreak.)**

 **Chapter Six**

 _Entry 6_

 _Date: November 7_ _th_ _, 5000 BC_

 _Unit 612_

 _Sweat dripped down my pearlescent white face as I jogged briskly through the forest._ I got to get to the meadow as soon as possible, _I thought as I panted._ The quicker I can get to her, the better. _As I ran, I couldn't help but notice a trail beginning to form in the brush of the forest._ It's a good thing that Garnet and I have visited the meadow so much, _I remarked._ This path we carved together will lead me directly to her!

 _Finally I burst through the last line of endless trees and into the flowery meadow. The bright morning sun spilled bright yellow light like liquid gold over the scene. I looked around frantically for my friend, and my eyes finally laid upon a vague figure sitting in the flowery grass at the farthest edge of the meadow._

 _"Garnet," I breathed, recognizing her form. I pushed my legs forward into a quick dash towards her. "Garnet!" I called._

 _She didn't say a word. She didn't even look up at me as I slid to her side. She just sat with her legs crossed and her right cheek resting on her palm. The edges of her mouth remained turned downward into a grimace._

 _"Garnet," I whispered to her as I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder after a few moments of silence. I turned to look her directly in her eyes. "Are you okay?"_

 _She turned her head to face away from mine and sighed. Garnet hesitated before giving me a short reply: not really. She stared into the morning sky, expression blank except for a slight frown._

 _"Oh Garnet," I breathed, my heart filling with compassion. "I'm so sorry about that… To tell you the truth, I'm not exactly okay either." I shuddered. "This whole situation is so awful… I wish that there could be something done to stop it."_

 _"Turning into a monster can't be stopped. The only thing we can stop is lying to each other about it," she sighed, sounding almost empty._

 _"Rose didn't lie," I stated, furrowing my brow._

 _She turned to me, and gave me a sharp look. "She didn't tell us the truth either," she replied._

 _"I guess…" I paused, frowning. We sat in an unpleasant silence again for a moment before I made the sudden decision to break it. "Rose thinks you hate her now… Do you?"_

 _"No, but I'm not exactly happy with her right now," Garnet told me, her voice almost neutral. "I just wish she would stop keeping these secrets from me… It's not fair. I have a right to know!"_

 _"That's understandable," I agreed, nodding my head._

 _"And it's not her secrets that I'm concerned about hearing. It's the ones that involve me," she continued, pointing to herself as she spoke. "It makes me so angry. She knows everything about you and I, things that we don't even know about ourselves and yet she never tells us. Even when it could potentially hurt us."_

 _I blinked. I felt anxiety wash over me like cold water._ How much does she know, _I thought._ What does Rose know about me that I don't know about myself?

 _"I know she means the best for us… But she doesn't go about it in the right way. Rose by no means is a bad gem, I think she just needs to work on some things. Mainly considering others opinions and feelings to be as valid as hers. Please don't take this the wrong way, Pearl," Garnet explained, her voice weak. "I'm not trying to talk smack."_

 _"Uh, it's fine… We all need to work on some things," I replied. There was a small moment of silence after that, and I frowned. I felt like all my responses were so awkward. At that moment I hoped that what I said was not indirectly hurting Garnet's feelings._ Why can't I be better at this, _I thought, feeling frustrated as I furrowed my brow._

 _Finally, Garnet decided to break the silence. "Pearl," she said, turning to face me. "… Do you think I am bad?"_

 _I blinked, feeling surprised by her bold question. "N-no!" I burst. "Of course not," I said much gentler._

 _"Not even after I saying what I said to Rose?" Garnet frowned tightly. "Not even after I destroyed all those corrupted gems?" My eyes widened as a tear slid down her cheek. "Not even for being what I really am?"_

 _"No!" I felt myself cry out. I latched onto her hands with mine, and looked her directly in the face. "Never! I don't care what you are or what you have done. You have been so kind and helpful to me… I wouldn't be where I am today without all your help!" I gave her hands a tight squeeze as I felt the tears begin to fill my eyes. "Whatever bad things you have done have surely been far outweighed by all the good things you have done for me, and for everyone!" Tears began to slide freely down my pale cheek as I spoke. I could almost feel my heart breaking for her. "Garnet, I know you are a good gem!"_

 _"But I can't be a 'good gem,'" Garnet cried. She pulled her fully gloved hand away from mine and stared at it, biting her lip miserably. Her hand shook as she sobbed loudly. "I'm not even 'a' gem!"_

 _"What do you mea—" I cut off my own sentence with a gasp as she yanked the thick black glove off of her hand, revealing another vivid burgundy gem. "Garnet!"_

 _"I'm a fusion," she confessed as she closed her fingers around her second gem. "—A permanent fusion…" Garnet pulled off her glasses and set them beside her, revealing three heterochromatic eyes. She wiped the tears off of them carefully, and sharply inhaled as she bit her lip. "I'm sure you must think I'm a freak now… I know that's all that Homeworld thinks of me."_

 _I placed my hands tenderly over her right hand and gently slid my fingers over her second gem. I finally enclosed my hands around hers softly and gave it a soft squeeze as I finally met her gaze. "No… Never," I stated, my voice swelling with compassion. "There is nothing wrong with you! I would never be able to think of you as something like that…" I removed my right hand from hers and grabbed her left hand. Then I took both of her hands and moved them onto her cheeks, gently pressing her gems onto her soft brown flesh. "And Homeworld doesn't matter anymore," I breathed as I gazed into her colorful eyes. "You're here on Earth now," I whispered, my lips curling into the smallest smile._

 _Garnet blinked in shock. Her eyes squinted slightly as they began to overflow with shiny tears, and she let out a sharp cry. The next thing I knew, Garnet had wrapped her arms around me, surrounding me with her warm embrace. As my chin rested on her strong shoulder, I felt little warm teardrops drip onto mine. I blinked before finally melting into the hug, nuzzling my head into the crook of her shoulder._

 _"Thank you," she sobbed over my shoulder. "That means so much to me, Pearl…" I felt a light squeeze as she tightened her grip very slightly. "I only know one other person who accepts me for what I am… and you can probably guess who that is. And now I have another friend to support me. This means so much to me you wouldn't even know!"_

 _I slid my hand over her back gently, feeling the smooth fabric of her uniform as I moved it rhythmically back and forth. "It's no problem," I cooed, my eyes shut. "You deserve to be respected for what you are. I too have been treated badly on Homeworld for being a defective clone… And although I doubt I have ever been treated as badly as you, it's terrible what they have done to us," I said as I felt a tear slide down my cheek and onto her shoulder. I nuzzled my head deeper into her shoulder, and squeezed my hands. "I'm so very sorry for what has happened to you…" My voice was high and unsteady. "If I could make it up to you somehow, I would."_

 _"It's not your fault," Garnet spoke through heavy breaths, her voice raspy and fragile. "Really, it's not. But I appreciate the sentiment." She pulled herself away from me, and gazed into my eyes. I felt her gems press against my shoulders as she lightly gripped them. "Thank you again, Pearl," she sniffled. "Thank you for seeing me as I am and not judging me for it."_

 _I smiled and raised my hand her to her tearful face. I wiped her tears away from her three eyes with my thumb, slow and gentle. I couldn't help but notice how beautiful each one of them were as they shimmered like fine jewels in the bright morning sun. "Garnet," I breathed. I chuckled awkwardly before blurting out a compliment. "I don't know if you are aware, but you have really gorgeous eyes!" I said, cupping her warm cheeks in my hands._

 _Garnet blinked in shock and then blushed deep red in response. She placed her left hand on her cheek over my hand and peered over to the side shyly. "Do you really think so?" she asked, genuinely curious as she glanced back at me. "Most gems on Homeworld think they're disgusting…"_

 _"Oh, absolutely!" I replied, my voice positive. "And they're not disgusting at all! They're just different…" I let out an awkward laugh and blushed as I realized what I just said. "Not that there is anything wrong with that! Different doesn't mean bad!" I burst, waving my hands back and forth. "They're just so colorful and bright… If you didn't have two gems on your hands, I would almost think that your eyes were your gems!"_

 _Garnet giggled, and wiped her eyes. "Oh really?" she purred. "What kinds of gems?"_

 _"Well," I began, looking up. "Your blue eye could be a little sapphire, and your third eye would probably be a garnet, considering that's who you are… hmm, maybe your red eye could be a ruby?"_

 _"That's a funny choice," Garnet commented. "That's a_ really _funny choice."_

 _"Huh?" I said, my voice short and worrisome. "Did I say something wrong?"_

 _Garnet laughed, her voice like chiming bells. She placed a gentle hand on my arm. "No, no," she responded with a grin. "I just think it's funny how intuitive you are."_

 _I tilted my head._ There she goes, being mysterious again, _I couldn't help but think._

 _"I am Garnet," she stated. "But, I am also Sapphire. Ruby too." Garnet smiled shyly. "Three eyes, three identities. Fusion perks."_

 _"Oh," I said loudly as I finally got it. "So Sapphire and Ruby are the identities of your two gems?"_

 _"Yup," Garnet said, nodding her head. The tone of her voice was much more positive than it was earlier._

 _"How come I have never met them?" I asked, staring down at her gems._

 _"I am a permanent fusion. Their endless love for each other binds them together almost inseparably, thus creating me: Garnet," she explained. "If they unfuse, then you know that shit is really going down... They don't unfuse by choice."_

 _"Wow," I said, astonished. "Am… I able to fuse?"_

 _"Well," Garnet said with a hand on her chin. "Are you a gem?"_

 _"Barely," I replied, peering off to the side. "A broken, artificial one at that."_

 _Garnet placed a strong arm around my shoulder and looked at me with a small grin. "Oh, don't be silly. You're just different from other gems, not 'broken' or 'artificial.' As you said earlier, there's nothing wrong with that. I'm sure you will be able to fuse just like any other gem."_

 _"Really?" I asked. "Then… will you fuse with me?"_

 _"Someday, but not today," Garnet replied. "It's not that I am not willing to, it's just that when you first start out it needs a lot of practice… and although you have helped me to feel much better, I still am feeling a little down right now and I just need a break from all this gem business for a little bit."_

 _"That's understandable," I said, nodding. "It's fine. I'm sure we will have plenty of time later on to try it. I don't want to make you do anything you're not comfortable with right now."_

 _Garnet gave me a grin. "Thanks for understanding." She placed a hand on my shoulder. "Really. All this encouragement and support you have given me today… It makes me feel much better. I'm glad to have a friend like you, Pearl."_

 _I couldn't help but grin when she acknowledged me as one of her friends. I just feel so good about myself when others appreciate me and I don't quite understand why. "Oh, Garnet," I burst, my voice sentimental. "I'm so glad I could help. You have helped me with so much; the least I could do is return the favor!" I stood up and peered down at her, extending my thin hand. "This whole situation is so tough and awful… But I know we can get through it together!" I asserted. "And if you ever need any help, I am here for you. Just like you would be for me!"_

 _Garnet latched onto my hand with hers and I felt her secret gem press against my palm as I carefully pulled her up. "In fact," Garnet began, her voice soft. "—There is something I could use your help with." She grabbed her shades and placed them back over her eyes before looking back at me. "Could you help me apologize to Rose?"_

 _I grinned. "Yes, of course."_

 _She laughed awkwardly and put her hand behind her head. "You don't need to say anything while I'm apologizing… Your presence will just make me feel less anxious about it."_

 _"That's fine," I agreed. "I'm happy to help. And I'm sure it will go great… After you left, Rose was feeling pretty sorry about what happened. She'll just be happy to be friends again."_

 _"I guess I don't have much to worry about then," Garnet commented, seeming to say this to herself more than to me. "Oh, one more thing," she exclaimed. "Before we go, can I just say something?"_

 _"Sure, go ahead."_

 _"Please don't tell anyone that I'm a fusion… It could get me killed or worse: separated and sent back to Homeworld. As far as anyone knows, I'm just an average gem, okay?" Garnet said as she slid her glove back over her second gem._

 _I nodded. "Got it."_

 _"I'm glad I can trust you," Garnet stated, sounding almost relieved. She smiled. "Now, lets go. I have a friendship I need to fix."_


End file.
